Conclusion

The use of the Atom platform in a NAS is a positive development. Besides compatibility with all x86 software, it delivers high performance. Unfortunately, the low price – which is yet another advantage of the platform – has not yet reached this device class, but it probably will, considering the situation on the netbook market. The QNAP TS-439 Pro showed a very high data transfer speed in our tests – up to 80MBps for high-performance RAID0 as well as fault-tolerant RAID5. Its functionality is quite high, too. The NAS supports all the modern network protocols, integrated media servers, autonomous file downloading, video surveillance with IP cameras, and add-on modules that enhance functionality.

The only downside is the high price of the product. The MSRP of an empty NAS is pretty high: $799. The number is going to repel a lot of customers who do not need a compact system because it is quite possible to assemble a PC with the same performance and use it as a NAS for much less money. The installation and setting up of an OS is not worth such a big difference in price, we guess.

Hopefully, the pricing of such products will get more affordable as other brands release them and more users will consider installing them on their home LAN. So far, the TS-439 Pro can only be interesting as a NAS for professional business applications.